In and Out of Ketchikan

 

This little town has always been a hub for boats. We pulled into a marina and took a spot at the end of the dock.  We were about 1.5 miles north of the historic downtown area. The sea planes came in non-stop, and the 4 out of the 5 cruise ship terminals sat empty. We walked Jay to the town and checked out the boat chandlery and the Safeway. American products everywhere but understandably costly. Noticeably only the kind of things cruise ship customers might want. Cruise ships stimulate the local economy in a very specific way. That is just the way it is. Met a nice fellow at an almost empty local wine and cider bar. He told us that today was a nice relief. Thursday through Saturday the town would swell with 10,000 cruise ship guests. We ate some peanuts with our drinks and trekked back to Iolair. 

We walked back past a fish processing plant just as the crew was leaving. Mostly immigrants covered in rubber clothes, they rounded the corner into the bunk house to get some rest. Some went down the street to McDonalds. Working all day long packing fish has to be a hard way to make money. 

The sun came out. The view never reflected how busy things were. Several cruise ships went by, jets landed across the channel on the airport island. Seaplanes seemed to land and take off continuously from all directions. Ketchikan was as busy as any port we have seen in the Caribbean.  Reminded me of Dutch Saint Martin which serves a similar purpose. In glassy flat seas, we moved north to Thorne Bay the next day. Motor sailing the whole 37 miles. Thorne Bay is tucked about 6 miles back on Prince of Wales. The Thorne River brings freshwater down to mix with tidal sea water. Coming into the marina it is clear this is a fisherman's paradise.